spoo
CAP Co-Leader
Because Hemogoblin was made at the start of the generation when power creep was at its lowest, and because its central concept was to be a strong Pokemon despite having average or less-than-average stats, we decided to give it access to an incredibly strong option that would give it an immediate niche and secure its viability even after multiple DLCs: Pixilate Extreme Speed. With its potent Extreme Speed, combined with boosts from Bulk Up, the ability to heal while attacking with Bitter Blade, and a truly ridiculous amount of versatility between its 4th moveslot and various Tera types, Hemogoblin has been various shades of overpowered since the day it came out––even despite losing several powerful moves and a small amount of stats in its Post-Play Lookback roughly a year ago. Due to continuous meta shifts from DLCs/Pokemon HOME, OU bans, new CAP releases, and more, it has been difficult to address the issue of Hemogoblin in a timely manner; however, we've now reached a point in the metagame where we can safely conduct this nerf, and it would be a disservice to the playerbase to wait any longer.
While Hemogoblin's Pixilate-boosted Extreme Speed makes it immediately oppressive into offensive structures, its longevity, versatility, and general lack of resilient defensive answers can make it equally as oppressive against balance teams in the long term. Hemogoblin fits seamlessly onto any archetype not named stall, and there is hardly any opportunity cost to running it; because of its unique offensive attributes (and even its defensive attributes against Pokemon like Dragapult, Kyurem, and Weavile), you can almost guarantee it's going to prove its worth in any given match. Hemogoblin is not easy to revenge kill for obvious reasons, nor is it easy to prevent setting up or punish for doing so––Bitter Blade often means that damage done to Hemogoblin doesn't "stick," and 4th move options like Moonlight and Taunt can let it bypass certain weak attackers or generally passive counterplay. Of course, this is also not to mention the litany of other more niche options it can viably make use of, like Spikes, Wish, Fire Lash, AOA Choice Band sets, or even more, making Hemogoblin easily fit the specifications of almost any team's needs. It is a Pokemon that demands immediate response once it hits the field, but is happy to play patiently and noncommittally itself until it can safely transition from the role of revenge-killer to that of an endgame cleaner with Bulk Up. We hope to successfully address this asymmetry and Hemogoblin's general lack of counterplay by the time this thread concludes, using the community's input as a guide.
======snake said:1. The CAP Metagame Council identifies a broken/unhealthy threat. Input from the metagame discussion thread, Discord, high-level tournament replays, etc. are ways the community can voice their concerns to the CAP Metagame council.
2. The CAP Metagame Council begins a thread. The OP, written by the CAP Metagame Council, summarizes why the Pokemon is broken. Metagame shifts, game mechanics changing, or OU bans can be potential points. The CAP Metagame council will also include a checks and counters list. Hard-counters to soft-checks, hazard damage, relative ability to switch-in, etc. should be considered. Keep in mind that with the broken Pokemon in the metagame, we can continue to understand why it is broken.
3. In the thread, the community discusses the simplest solution(s) to making the CAP not broken. Here, we can well-define a new list of checks and counters. Some solutions may be changing its ability to one that's similar but not as good, reducing its speed tier, removing some of its bulk or attack, or removing a certain move or two from its movepool. The community will play a huge role in identifying what solutions are available, but CAP Metagame Council will have the final say on what nerf is implemented. Keep in mind that the nerf(s) that is(are) implemented MUST preserve the identity of the CAP (i.e. Necturna uses Sketch, Pajantom uses its powerful trapping move, etc.).
Rules for posting in this thread:
- Do not post one liners, nor uninformed posts.
- Do not hold discussion on other potential nerfing processes.
- Do not hold discussion on the nerfing system.
- You are required to make respectful posts.
- If you fail to follow these rules, your post will be deleted and you may be infracted.
We're aiming for this Nerfing Process to last for approximately 2 weeks.